Unstrung
by Laura
Spinella
Publisher: Montlake
Release Date: February 21, 2017
Reviewed by Maria Lokken
Reviewed by Maria Lokken
Her choice of community service is the turning point which will
affect everything and everyone in her life. As the reader gets deeper into the
story they discover Olivia’s life appears to be one thing on the surface, but
like a Russian nesting doll there are secrets hidden beneath the layers.
Everyone in her life gets some version of the truth, and when her ex-husband
comes to town to ask for forgiveness, her life begins to unravel like a
knitting ball tossed to the floor by a playful kitten.
This story is a multi-layered mosaic of how Olivia became Olivia
and what moves her. Ms. Spinella weaves a
complex story, chapter by chapter. In
many respects the book plays out much like an episodic series on HBO with each
chapter adding another revelation to the overall story arc.
Nothing is as it seems, and everything will be different when you
finally reach the end of the book. Will
the reader get a happy ending? Yes. Will it be what you expected? I’m not the one
to say. I can say I would certainly read another of Ms. Spinella’s books. She has a terrific wit, and creates dialogue
that sets the tone and gives breath to each character.
I’m always amazed when I read a work of fiction where the author has created a world that comes to
life, a living drama before my eyes.
Those are the best kinds of reads.
That’s what this author has accomplished with “Unstrung.” A work of fiction that’s come to
life, beautifully and sometimes tragically played out, in a world I couldn’t stop ‘watching’.
In the last six months,
what book have you read that kept you up late at night?
